If you love Italian food as much as I do, but you are watching calories, you are going to fall in love with this recipe for Skinny Eggplant Parmigiana. It has all the flavor of the traditional recipe, but without all the extra oil from frying.
The key to making good Skinny Eggplant Parmigiana is to extract as much water before cooking as possible, followed by baking, in order to get that crispiness instead of a soggy mess.
This recipe also freezes well.
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants, thinly sliced
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 cans organic tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 tablespoons each – dried or fresh herbs – basil, oregano & thyme
Olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
5-6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
2 ounces part skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Slice eggplants crosswise into thin slices. Line a large cookie sheet with a layer of paper towels. Add slices in single layers, sprinkling each layer with a little sea salt to extract the water; placing paper towels in between each layer and ending with a layer of paper towels.
Cover cookie sheet with another cookie sheet facing up. Use a small cast iron skillet or other pot or pan to weigh down the cookie sheet. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime, make the sauce:
Coat the bottom of a medium sauce pan with olive oil. Add chopped onions and saute for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add celery and continue cooking for an additional 1 minute. Add garlic and cook for another 1 minute. Add tomato paste and herbs, stirring until slightly browned, but not burned. Add tomato sauce and 1 cup of water.
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
To prepare eggplant:
Lightly coat cookie sheets with cooking spray. Add eggplant slices in single layers. Add to a 350-degree oven and bake until eggplant becomes crispy around the edges – about 12 minutes.
To assemble eggplant:
Add a little sauce to the bottom of a 9X12 baking dish. Add a single layer of eggplant, add additional sauce, followed with 1 tablespoon of the parmesan cheese. Continue layering eggplant, sauce and parmesan cheese until finished, ending with sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until slightly browned around the edges. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
Enjoy and don’t forget to share with someone you love!
